Growth

Thank goodness for backyard gardens! Even though I freqently feel as though I am running to stand still - life really does go on. I love that I have a beautiful garden that reminds me of just this.

Here is a pic of the organic veggie garden a little over a month ago:



Here it is now:


We actually had our first Swiss Chard harvest! Take the ribs off and saute with some garlic & olive oil...Yumbalicious!


These guys in the corner? They are echinacea that seem to have naturalized quite nicely. It is their second year in the bed & I am so pleased by how robust they are!


So far, I've managed to keep the Ruby-Red flowering quince healthy and happy:


And, for the first time, I really think that my ferns are going to make it. It was touch and go last year (the second year they were in the ground) - but now they are looking quite healthy.

This one is an Autumn fern - it changes color going from autumn browns to fern green as it unfolds from its fiddlehead.



I can't remember what these things are called, but if you look closely, you will see these little bumps on the back of the fern leaf. According to my fern-loving sister, these are not heeby-jeeby inducing mites but little indications that the fern is healthy and reproductive. So, if you are in the market for a fern - don't shy away from these creepy-bumpy looking ones. They are the ones that you WANT!



Woo Hoo! I've found a fern-happy spot in my backyard. And, what that means is - yup - more ferns to come!

Here's to a healthy, fruitful, sweet weekend full of reminders that even when you may feel stagnant and not making progress - life does go on. Beautifully so, sometimes. (You know that I'm talking to myself here, right?)

Ten Memorial Day Weekend Highlights

1 - A rousing game of Die Siedler Von Catan. This is truly a gamer's game that we've been playing for years with our bestest buds. None of us are "gamers" in the stereotypical sense - but for whatever reason - the four of us glommed on to this game and it is never a dull moment when trading sheep for wheat. (I was in the lead for a respectable period early on, thankyouverymuch).


2 - Rediscovering a LONG lost Radiohead cd (missing for a good few years). I've since ripped it to my ITunes - never to leave my side again. Welcome home, my love. BTW, I just read that Phil Selway turned 40 this month. Cool.


3 - Free & borrowed books from the library


The best of the bunch is Waiting for Daisy, by Peggy Orenstein. I randomly picked it up along with all of the yarn-eye-candy books that I planned on only scanning for the pretty pictures. Then my friend asked me yesterday if I'd heard of the book - she was going to buy it for us to share. I cracked the spine moments after we got off the phone and now I'm halfway finished. What a luxury it is to stick your nose in a book all afternoon, but I digress. If you've been the unfortunate recipient of infertility "treatment", then this book may just be right up your alley.



Here's one little snippet I borrowed from Amazon:

"Clomid was my gateway drug; the one you take because, Why not -- everyone's doing it. Just five tiny pills. They'll give you a boost, maybe get you where you need to go. It's true, some women can stop there. For others, Clomid becomes infertility's version of Reefer Madness. First you smoke a little grass, then you're selling your body on a street corner for crack. First you pop a little Clomid, suddenly you're taking out a second mortgage for another round of in vitro fertilization (IVF). You've become hope's bitch, willing to destroy your career, your marriage, your self-respect for another taste of its seductive high."

Becoming hope's bitch? Well said.

I'm pretty sure that there is a happy ending because the inside flap indicates that this family does end up with the child "Daisy" that they've been "Waiting" for - and amazingly their marraige remains intact. (If you know the ending - shhh! - don't tell. I want to be pleasantly surprised).

Ok, more Highlights from the weekend....

4 - Stephanie's Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe. Yum!

5 - Meeting with a favorite blogger family, and anticipation of meeting with another very soon!

6 - Foraging baby-things for my neice from the treacherous hallway closet where it is all hidden from sight.



7 - Season Finale (& Beach Day) of The Office on TIVO!! Subsequent tears from laughing.


Has anyone else experienced firewalking?

8 - Potential quilt pattern for my coveted QuALT fabrics.



9 - Four Glorious Days Off from Work!!!!

10 - Final highlight, of course, Iris.

Sometimes Dreams Really Do Come True

I had a dream.

And, it came true.

Genesis has reunited and will be touring in North America Fall 2007. First time in 15 years!

Jzboy almost had to take me to Paris to see the show this summer...then we heard that they were coming across the Pond. (I suppose we'll tuck that unspent money away for our China trip sometime in the next decade).

Last time I saw Genesis was in high school. My boyfriend at the time stood in line for hours and got us tickets in the Fifth row - CENTER!!! It was one of my fondest teenage memories! I've always said that if there was one last concert that I could go to - it would be Genesis. I'll admit it, yes, I ((heart)) Phil. Not his recent, random Disney stuff - the old stuff - the brass section, the drums, the stories...you know, like Abacab. Paperlate and Silver Rainbow.


Thank goodness my husband gets it. He's with me. I mean, we played Genesis as our first dance at our wedding - and it was the perfect tune for us. For whatever reason, the band has always touched my heart. And, of course, the music takes me so easily back to a different time. When life was shiny and new - when standing in Fifth Row/Center with your boyfriend to see your favorite band was the most mind blowing experience EVER.

This seems to be the summer of reunion tours: Genesis, Aerosmith, the Police, (Van Halen cancelled their tour because Eddie went into rehab), Smashing Pumpkins, Rush, Rage Against the Machine and Roxy Music with Bryan Ferry!

For now, we're in with tickets to see Genesis. Who knows how the rest of 2007 will unfold.

What are you seeing this summer?

Dear Pearl S. Buck

(Please read this with a good-spirited King James haughtiness....)

Dear Pearl S. Buck,

As I drove hither and thither on my daily commute...I was wooed and, actually, quite smote by the words of your fine work The Good Earth. How now, thought I with great consternation, could this novel have been skipped by me all of these years? I rebuke myself and my English teachers for this oversight.

Pardon my pretty petulance and impudent attitude toward other authors, but what novel could possibly follow yours? Am I just drawing a blank or merely being indolent? I believe that you have sundered my perspective - you harlot! I am not want to use such strong language ordinarily - but have been feeling peevish of late.

Perhaps I'll simply slake my hunger with sweet meats.





(haha, I crack myself up!)

Seriously....I LOVED this book. I did listen to it on cd and was entranced. The language was old skool and a large part of what I enjoyed. Pearl S. Buck is a literary rockstar...not to mention quite a pioneer in the world of international adoption. She established Welcome House, Inc., the first international, interracial adoption agency in 1949. She also adopted nine children with her second husband, Richard J. Walsh. Cool lady.

Check out the book if you haven't already.

Next cd-book in the car.....Bee Season.

Happy Bee Day!

After nearly a month in China - Emme Lu comes home with her parents.

Holding a dear thought for all of you.

XO

Honoring Tha' Day

I spent part of Mother's Day morning burning a cd of my favorite Missy Elliott tunes for a friend. As I did so, I surprised myself when I realized how very appropriate this activity was. Missy Elliott, a quadruple threat: rapper, singer, songwriter and producer is on my list of favorite, very cool strong women. She has chartered new territory in a field that is male dominated...and she Works It.

Missy doesn't have children that I am aware of, but I do find her to possess authentic Mother-Energy. Over the years she has nurtured other artists, gathered people together, spoke out on behalf of others and has become a strong, competent, honest female icon in a world of sleezy, booty-baring PopTarts.

As is my style, I started trippin' on my thoughts about this Mother-Energy and where I cultivate it in my own life. Areas that I gravitate to are: mothering the earth as I garden, nurturing others as part of my work, caring for friends and family in need, creating delicious food and meaningful art/craft to nourish my soul and never giving up hope that one day I will sharpen my focus on said Mother-Energy when our long-awaited child enters our lives.

I hope to be a mother that creates adventure and fun in our life as a family. When I reflected upon how to honor Mother's Day 2007 - I decided that it was time for an adventure for Jzboy and I. What could be better than reservations at a killer Hot Pot restaurant for Sunday? Our first Hot Pot experience. No way I was going to be all mopey with Hot Pot plans on the brain.


This place is called "Little Sheep" and apparently has over 700 locations in China! Some of my Canadian friends may be familiar with it because there are a handful of places up there. Our little place is the first US restaurant. How lucky are we?


Jzboy and I felt just a little closer to China on Sunday seeing as we were two of the only Caucasian people in the place. It would have been nice to know some Chinese phrases so we could have asked the kids next to us what they were having. We did pretty well because the waiter was very nice and helpful.

See how the pot is divided? One side is mild and the other is very, very spicy.


Here is the array of ingredients that we chose. Fresh leafy veggies, tofu, noodles, shrimp and the "mushroom platter". Oh yeah, and fish balls!!! Yuuuum!


The two of us had big ol' grins as we rolled ourselves out of there last night.

Adventure with Jzboy, tofu and shrooms for dinner, Missy Misdeameanor on the radio and dreams of sharing Chinese culture and cuisine with our child to be...I'd say that it was a very, very nice Mother's Day indeed.

PS - BTW, Mother's Day also commemorates the fact that we've been logged in w/ the CCAA for One Year.

Whoa.

Memez

This random meme was lifted from Stephanie's Emma Bug Blog ...please join in on the fun if you feel so inclined...

1. What bill do you hate paying the most? Damn, they are all equally difficult to *want* to pay.

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner? In my own home.

3. Last time you puked from drinking? Hoo boy - maybe in college?

4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar? Only in my dreamz, actually, but when I watch MTV's Real World, I wonder if I missed out on something?

5. Name of your first grade teacher? Miss Johnson. I always thought that she was strange b/c it seemed as though her knees were on backwards.

6. What do you really want to be doing right now? Rocking my child to sleep.

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up? A Five-Star-General of the Army like Douglas MacArthur. Only to make my father proud, to be honest. After I became a pacifist, however, I wanted then to become a helper like, Marie Curie.

8. How many colleges did you attend? Three.

9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now? Because I liked the color and because it went with brown - my favorite work-related color.

10. GAS PRICES??? Painful.

11. Where would you move if you could move anywhere? Either Paris, France...if we are talking International...or Austin, TX...if we are talking domestic.

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning? When will I wake b/c a baby needs me vs. my longstanding vocational committment?

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night? Did I remember to record 24?

14. Favorite style of underwear? Non-Creeping. Nice color. Easy to launder.

15. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex? Boxies.

16. What errand/chore do you despise? Pumping gas.

17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer? Yes. Red Cross.

18. Get up early or sleep in? Early. Much easier on the weekends, I've found.

19. What is your favorite cartoon character? Felix the Cat.

20. Favorite thing to do at night with a girl/guy? Make a fabulous dinner together. Especially when someone else agrees to washing the dishes.

21. Have you found real love yet? Yeppers. I mean...Yeeeessshhhh (watch The Office, anyone?)!

22. When did you first start feeling old? Oh boy. Probably around 35...when "the eggs" start going to shit.

23. Favorite 80's movie? ValleyGirl...for sure...like totally.

24. Your favorite lunch meat? I used to LOVE Liverwurst. Sometimes I wonder if I'd still love it, with onions and mustard, that is. But, I gave such things up ages ago.

25. Beach or lake? Beach, for sure. White sandy, Mediterranean beaches. Lovely.

26. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual? No.

27. Who from high school would you like to run into? My counselor. Jose Palomo. We had a great rhyme for him:

"Jo-oh-say...Pah-loh-o-mo...
We Can See Your Musta-a-a-che Through the Snow"

28. Movies or Documentaries? Spike Lee...perfect combination, IMO.

29. The Cosby Show or the Simpsons? South Park.

30. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back? Britney and Kevin.

31. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work? Yes.

32. If you could get away with it, who would you kill? I'm not up to killing. Maiming, yes. Killing, no.

33. What famous person(s) would you like to have dinner with? Kevin Smith. Martha Stewart. Tim Gunn.

34. What famous person would you like to sleep with? None. Too much paparazzi, of course.

35. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose? Nope.

36. Last book you read for real? The Kiterunner. Fabulous. Absolutely.

37. Do you have a teddy bear? Not right now. But, I am making many.

42 Strong!

I'm so bummed, I had to delete my Sexy Ugly post b/c all of my pictures disappeared! Somehow, overnight, they all turned into blue "?"s. Maybe I had too many attractive bad-boys in one place? Maybe the Blogger police got me? Who knows.

Darn it! I was really enjoying those pics.

Oh well, I suppose that now is as good as any for a Bai Jia Bei Update....

I finally finished my most recent batch of 17 squares:


It took me a while to get to the appliqued curved part in my assembly line for this batch. Now that I've got a couple of new sewing projects waiting in the wings, I have revitalized motivation. (Irena, Jen, Nat, Kaye, Jody...see anything that you recognize??) These fabrics came from as far away as New York City, Oklahoma, Florida, Wisconsin and one was even sent to me from Norway!

Here is the stack of...drumroll please...FORTY TWO blocks that I have completed thus far. Only 35 (or more, depending on my stamina) to go and the Bai Jia Bei will be nearing its next stage of construction. I may have to join a quilting group at that point to get some help from the real quilt ladies.


Finally, I leave you with one of many rays of sunshine experienced around here this weekend. My peony opened up!


You don't see too many of these around here, so getting mine to bloom is a huge treat!

Here's to stitching and blooming!

Loose Threads

The other day I realized that sometimes I post on a "thing" and then just never get back to it. Sometimes people ask questions in the comments section that I never get back to and from time to time my own thoughts turn back to those questions or to the "thing" I mentioned earlier - but usually it never seems significant enough for its own, secondary post. It also feels a little disjointed to add a P.S. to the end of an unrelated post tracking back to the other.

Make sense? Anyone else feel me on this??

Anyway, here are a couple of bullet points that, at least for me, will tie up some loose ends from days gone by....with hyperlinks taking you to those places if you so choose.

* I LOVED the Kite Runner. Loved-loved-loved-loved it! Loved it on so many levels. It was wonderful to hear a story about boys/men and their emotional lives and I appreciated the opportunity to explore the many facets of the Afghan experience and culture. Reading the novel has motivated me to learn more and reminded me of how sequestered I feel at times as an American.

* As hard as it was to play that last cd of The Kite Runner - I have now begun another 10 cd novel...The Good Earth. And, I'm in love again. How I never read this book as an English minor in college and an AP English student in high school is a mystery to me. Thank goodness for these free-library-cd-books as they have made a huge impact upon my difficult daily commute.

* Regarding my UFO yarn projects. The "Whisper" pinkish lacy shawl...back down the tubes. Bummer, man. I can't seem to get the increases right. I'm just going to have to find something easier. Any suggestions?

* Remember the bear I was knitting back in, uh, September? Still missing one arm. The other UFO's? Still waiting for their leader.

* Thanks for the compliments on the shoes that I posted about Saturday. They actually are very comfortable. Believe it or not, they are made by Dr. Scholls. Good news is that they are currently on sale AND they come in red!!

* I was so surprised by how many people either had or were running out to pick up the Vanilla Chai deoderant. Personally, I thought that it was/is a little on the odd side. Smells a'ight, I suppose, but I am very picky in this department. You see, they seemed to have discontinued my favorite deoderant that I've used for YEARS, and you know how difficult something like that is to replace.

Vanilla Chai? - ok, but not a replacement. (sigh) Definitely not lickable.

* I am humbled to have been nominated for the elusive "Thinking Blogger Award". Humbled b/c Rhonda, one of my Super Cool Maple Leaf friends thought that I deserved the honor. Thanks, Rhonda!! Then, I had some other thoughts after reading C1's comments about the "award". She points out that it is a creative way for this random guy to get a bunch of blog traffic. That is, if you "link" to his "site".

Personally, I don't like the image used for the "award" button:


The oversized, radioactive head reminds me of the Wizard Head:


And, that kinda creeps me out.

So, I plan to "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain", and not link up, not add to, and not play along...except to thank you, again, Rhonda for the compliment. I do appreciate others listing fave blogs, though, because now I've added a few new ones to my list.


* Finally, here is a question for you savvy blogger types. How come all of the pics of my autographs from my Nick Cage & I Go Way Back post disappeared?? Is it possible that they wiped em' off because of, I don't know, privacy issues or something?? What a trip.



Ok, bulleting over.

Whew! I'm feeling better already.

Retail Smile Therapy

Things that I bought recently that made me smile....

Pattypan Squash - my favorite:


Random Vanilla Chai Scented Deoderant:


Farmer's Market Snapdragons & Bells of Ireland:


BabyZ Creamer Potatoes!!!


A suuuuper cute new apron:


Special fabric for the winner of the Kitty Caption Contest...AtomicMama!


A step up from my usual clogs:


I hope that everyone is having a great weekend and finding lots of little things that make you smile. XO

Green Day

It was Earth Day and I got exactly what I asked for....

Rain.

Thank you Mother Nature.

And, thanks to everyone that sent me Get Well wishes. I really think that they helped because I had the energy and desire to get outside today. It rained early this morning and that made for a perfect sunny afternoon to play around in the garden. Ideal way to spend Earth Day, I must say.

Over Spring Break I took a few days off to plant my veggie garden and commune with the backyard. I really felt that the Universe was thanking me for doing so because the week or so following my dirty work - it rained upon our little corner of the world exactly FOUR times. That is unheard of here in sunny California. A lot of people around here curse the raindrops - but I welcome and revel in the showering. It has been a very dry winter and we need all the precipitation that we can get.

Look at how happy the veggie garden is today:


What do you think about the fancy new fence I created? I love it & it keeps the neighbor cats from using it in the wrong way.

Here are the foxgloves in all of their glory:



Don't you just love perennials? These were a huge surprise for me this year as they really whimped out last year.

Here are my fave peach roses showing their color.



Does anyone remember about a year ago when Millicent over at Different Dirt asked "What was your First Pink"?? A bunch of us in the China Adoption blog community shared what was the first thing that we bought for our daughters as we began our wait. Well, my "First Pink" was a Flowering Quince - a lovely bush with peachy pink blooms. I planted it under my daughter's window on Mother's Day last year. That day ended up being our Log In Date with the CCAA.

Well, I'm sorry to say, it didn't make it.


The pile of sticks right behind the orange poppy - yup - that is/was the poor thing. I hoped that it would come back this Spring, but the guy at the nursery told me that if there weren't any leaves on it that it was dead. He gave me the news right after telling me that the Flowering Quince is, actually, nearly impossible to kill.

Let's try not to read too much into this one, ok?

My solution?


I bought another one. This time - it is RED. This is how it should look when it blooms:


This puppy is going to make it. Mark. My. Words.

In honor of Earth Day, and as a special gift to ourselves we bought a new plant for the yard. It is a viburnum and has these nice white clustering blooms in the Spring. Here it is in its new home:


I dipped into my "Baby Fund" for this one. Over the past year and a half I've been cashing and stashing my BDay & XMas checks away for something cool like an Ergo baby carrier, a sweet diaper bag or some special nursery bedding. Screw that. Obtaining that bootie is so far off that I just want to use the $$ for my outdoor nursery. Jzboy reminded me that the Viburnum is for BabyZ in a way. She will enjoy it someday, too.

I hope that everyone had an excellent Earth Day - one that was nurturing, energizing and Green.

Down For the Count

The bug finally got me.

I pushed through it all week - but by Thursday afternoon, I was down for the count. Now I'm slugging Nyquil shooters with Ginger Ale chasers and sounding a lot like Peppermint Patty.


My Bloglines is exploding b/c I've been out of touch. I hope that everyone is doing ok - but I am afraid to even glance at the rumors floating around. I think that I'll go back to my DVR stock full of The Office, South Park and The Riches to keep me floating around La-La Land in my pseudoephedrine haze.


Be back soon.

XO